The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus, e.g., a personal computer or the like, and more particularly, to a data processing apparatus suitably employed in a data processing system comprising peripherals e.g., a printer. Moreover, the present invention particularly relates to a data processing apparatus adaptable to plural operation environments, e.g., languages used.
Conventionally, a data processing system comprising a data processing apparatus, e.g., a personal computer or the like, connected to a display device, and external peripheral devices e.g., a printer or the like, has a mechanism for switching fonts or the like to be displayed by a display device in accordance with language information supplied by an operating system.
Such conventional system also includes a mechanism for allowing a user to switch a language displayed on a display screen by using a user interface provided by application software or a printer driver.
Furthermore, a data processing system including a data processing apparatus, e.g., a personal computer or the like, which is connected to a printer conventionally comprises: spool means for temporarily storing data in a different data format (so-called intermediate code) prior to generating print data to be transmitted to a printer; de-spool means for generating print data to be transmitted to the printer based on the data temporarily stored in the intermediate code format, and means for generating printer control commands.
Such conventional mechanism or system is provided separately for different operation environments, especially for countries in which the mechanism or system is used, even though processing actually performed in the system is mostly the same. For instance, software, e.g., operating systems, application programs, device drivers and so forth, operating in a conventional mechanism or system are prepared as separate products for each of the different countries. Taking printer driver software as an example, information which differs for each country, e.g., default font setting or a language used in messages displayed in a user interface screen or the like, is predetermined within the printer driver. Therefore, country setting information or data cannot be obtained from external software.
For the same reason, operation control means must also be prepared for each environment in the system in which output data is temporarily stored in an intermediate code format.
On the other hand, application programs and printer drivers, having a mechanism for switching fonts to be displayed in accordance with language information supplied by an operating system, have a problem because acquisition of language information is completely dependent on the operating system.
Furthermore, in an environment where multinational users exist, it is necessary to change the language of messages displayed on a setting screen or the like. For this purpose, driver software for a device provided for a number of countries, or storage operation control means using the aforementioned intermediate language or the like, are installed in one data processing apparatus. In such case, plural softwares, having no difference in actual functions, are installed. This inefficiently consumes the storage capacity of an external memory of the data processing apparatus, and obstructs the ease of use.
In addition, providing software having mostly the same contents, but partly different, for each environment is cumbersome to the product suppliers. This causes problems such as higher manufacturing costs and complicated product management.